Gearing for washing-machines.



No. 759,554. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. w. RUTHVEN.

GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 22. 1904.

no MODEL. 2 snnms-snnm 1.

N0- 759,554. PATENTED MAY 10, .1904.

' W. RUTHVEN.

GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. 1904. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fatented May 10, 1904;.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM RUTI-IVEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GEARING FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,554, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed January 22, 190 1. Serial No. 190,124. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM RUTHVEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gearing for Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gearing for washing-machines of that class in which a heater or stirrer within the tub or other clothes-receptacle has imparted to it a rotary reciprocating movement.

The object of the invention is to improve the structures of such machine and to provide the same with an oscillating or reciprocating lever by means of which the beater may be driven without any great exertion on the part of the operator and also whereby continual application of power on the part of the operator becomes unneccessary, means being provided for storing up energy while the operator is actuating the lever or other operating means and which when power has ceased to be applied serves to drive the beater until the supply of stored-up energy is exhausted.

The invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter particularly described, specifically designated in the claims. and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a top plan view of a washing machine provided with operating mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the operating mechanism and showing a portion of the tub or clothes-receptacle. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in another position. Fig. 1 is a detail horizontal sectional view of the speed-gearing. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the washing-machine, showingamodilication of the same; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6. y

The tub, tank, or other receptacle 10, de' signed to receive the clothes to be cleaned, may be of the usual and ordinary construction and is preferably provided with a hinged lid or cover 11, normally closing the top of the tub and adapted to be swung upwardly to open through a central opening in the lid 11 and a.

bearing coinciding with such opening and formed 1n the plate 12. A bevel-pinion 15 is fixed upon the upper end of the shaft 1 1, as-

by a pin 16, and this gear, located above the lid 11, and a shoulder 17, formed on the shaft under the lid, prevent vertical movement of the shaft. J'ournaled in a bearing 18, carried by the plate 12, and a bearing 19, carried by a plate 20, secured to the lid 11 by bolts 21, is a horizontal rock-shaft 22. This shaft has secured on the inner end thereof a bevelgear 23, meshing with the bevel-pinion 15 011 the beater-shaft. In the present instance the gear 23 is shown as a segmental gear and is secured on the rock-shaft 22 by a pin 24, which passes through a collar 25 integral with the gear 23. To the outer end of the rock-shaft, which extends to adjacent the side of the tub 10, is fixed a lever or handle 26, which is designed to be oscillated or moved up and down to turn the beater-shaft.

From the foregoing it will be understood that when the lever 26 is oscillated by the operator the shaft 22 will be rocked, thereby through the medium of the segmental gear 23 and the pinion 15 imparting a rotary reciprocating movement to the beater 13.

Associated with the mechanism described are means for storing up energy during the oscillation of the lever 26 to operate the beater and which are designed to expend such energy to turn the beater when the operator ceases to To this end there apply power to the lever 26. is provided a shaft 27, parallel with the rockshaft 22 and journaled in bearings 28 onthe plate or bracket 12. Fixed to the inner end of the shaft is a crank-arm 29, to which .is pivoted, as at 30, one end of a pitman 31, the

other end of such pitman being pivoted, as

at 32, to the segmental gear 23. Mounted upon the outer end of the shaft 27, which extends beyond the side of the tub 10, is a flywheel 33.

The arrangement is such that when the lever 26 is oscillated to turn the beater a continuous rotary motion will be imparted to the flywheel 33, which being of considerable weight will expend the energy stored up during the manual operation of the lever to drive the beater through the medium of the pitman 31, when the manual operation of the lever 26 is discontinued. In order to increase the speed of the fly-wheel to insure the same being driven at great velocity, I preferably provide speedincreasing gearing between the shaft 27 and the fly-wheel. For this purpose the fly-wheel 33 is loosely journaled on the shaft 27 and has fixed thereto a pinion 34, which is also journaled loosely on the shaft 27. Fixed to the shaft 27, as by a pin 35, isa gear 36, meshing with a small pinion 37, loosely mounted on a stub-shaft 38, carried by an arm 39 of the bracket or plate 12. The pinion 37 has fixed thereto a gear 40, and the said pinion 37 and gear 40 are held on'the stub-shaft in any suitable manner, as by a pin 41. The gear 40 meshes with the small pinion 34. Through the'medium of the gearing described the speed of the fly-wheel is greatly increased, so as to be driven at great velocity compared with the speed of the shaft 27.

In the operation of the driving mechanism the lever 26 is oscillated, rocking the segmental gear 23 to drive the beater. Through the medium of the pitman and erank-arm 29 this oscillating movement is converted to a continuous rotary motion of the shaft 27, and by means of the speed-gear the fly-wheel 33 is driven in the same manner. A few oscillations of the lever 26 will result in driving the fly-wheel at great velocity. The operator may now discontinue applying power to the lever, and the momentum of the fiy-wheel will exhaust itself in imparting the energy stored therein to the beater, this being accomplished through the medium of the shaft 27, crank 29, and pitman 31 to oscillate the segmental gear 23.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 I provide the shaft 27 with a crank 42, which is fixed thereon. This crank maybe operated in connection with the lever 26, or it may be operated independently of the lever. In the operation of the machine when the latter is driven by the crank 42 motion is communicated, by turning the crank, to the shaft 27, which in turning and through the medium of the crank 29 and pitman 31 oscillates bevelgear 23, turning pinion 15 in the manner heretofore described. During this operation motion is communicated from the shaft 27 to the fiy-wheel 33 through the medium of the speedgearing and driving the fiy-wheel at high velocity. When the crank 42 is released by the operator, the energy stored up in the fly-wheel 33 operates the heater in the same manner as heretofore described.

By means of the construction described and through the medium of the flywheel 84: a smooth and even movement is given to the heater, and such fly-wheel stores up power to drive the beater forsome time after power has ceased to be applied by the operator. The mechanism is carried wholly by the hinged cover and in such manner that the cover may be readily swung open and closed.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a shaft, a rocker member for imparting rotary reciprocating motion to the shaft, of a'fly-wheel, and a connection for converting the movement of the rocker member into continuous rotary motion in the fiy-wheel.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a shaft, a rock-shaft, connection for communicating motion from the rock-shaft to the first shaft, means for operating the rockshaft, of a fiy-wheel, and means whereby the oscillating movement of the rock-shaft is converted into continuous motion of the fly-wheel.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a shaft, a rock-shaft, a connection between the rock-shaft and the first shaft to impart a rotary reciprocating motion to the latter, means for operating the rock-shaft, of a continuously-rotating fiy-wheel, and means for converting the movement of the rock-shaft into the continuous rotary motion of the flywheel.

4:. In a device of the class described, the com bination with a shaft, a pinion fixed to the shaft, a rock-shaft having a gear meshing with the pinion, means for operating the rock-shaft, of a fiy-wheel, a continuously-rotating shaft for driving the flywheel, and a connection whereby the motion of the rock-shaft is converted into the continuous rotary motion of the rotating shaft.

5. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a shaft, a pinion fixed to the shaft, a rock-shaft having a segmental gear meshing with the pinion, a lever fixed to the rock-shaft, a second shaft having a crank-arm, a pitman connecting the crank-arm and the segmental gear, and a fly-wheel driven by the second shaft.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support, a shaft extending through the support and havinga beveled pinion fixed to its upper end, a rock-shaft on the support and provided with a segmental gear meshing with the pinion, a lever fixed to the rock-shaft, a second shaft on the support, a

gear, a fiy-wheel loosely journaled on the second shaft, and speed-gearing for communicatmg motion from the second shaft to the flywheel and from the fly-Wheel to the said shaft.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support, a beater-shaft extending through the support and having a beveled pinion fixed to its upper end, a rock-shaft on the support and provided with a segmental gear meshing with the pinion, a lever fixed to the rock-shaft, a second shaft on the support, a crank-arm fixed to the latter shaft, a pitman pivoted to the crank-arm and the segmental gear, a fly-wheel loosely journaled on the second shaft, a pinion fixed to the fly-wheel, a gear secured on the second shaft, a stub-shaft on the support, and a gear journaled on the stub-shaft and meshing with the fly-wheel pinion and having fixed thereto a pinion meshing with the gear secured on the said second shaft.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support, a shaft extending up through the support and having a beveled gear fixed to its upper end, bearings on the support,

a rock-shaft journaled in the bearings and provided with a segmental gear meshing with the pinion, an operating-lever fixed to the rocl shaft, a bracket on the support and having bearings, a second shaft journaled in the bracket-bearings, a crank-arm fixed to the latter shaft, a pitman pivoted to the crank-arm and to the segmental gear, afly-Wheel loosely journaled on the second shaft and having a pinion fixed thereto, a gear fixed on the second shaft, an arm carried by the bracket and provided with a stub-shaft, and a pinion and gear fixed together and loosely journaled on the stub-shaft, the latter pinion meshing with the gear on the second shaft and the gear on the stub-shaft meshing with the fly-wheel pinion.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM RUilTHVEN. Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. SnmoLn, ELIZABETH MoLrroR. 

